The Vinyl Word

By Queen Bee / Contributing Reporter

The uncompromising Stingrays deejays at Nclosure tonight in Kaohsiung.

Photo Courtesy of Fluid-Mix

After a long hiatus, Stingrays (Eric Woon) is back in business, and seeing his name written on a flyer again brings back memories of the good times when electronic dance music in Taiwan was strictly underground.

Hailing from Singapore, where he had been deejaying since 1989, Stingrays relocated to Taipei in the mid-1990s and became actively involved in the local rave scene.

He’s known for his fast-paced mixing and dark, energetic techno sets. Aside from his deejaying, Stingrays has also been a purveyor of techno music, releasing tracks on international record labels as well as his own imprint Fluid-Mix.

His latest venture is Nclosure, a weekly night in Greater Kaohsiung.

The Vinyl Word: What do your music and DJ sets sound like these days?

Stingrays: Nothing much has been changed between the past and the present in my music production and sounds, or in my deejaying and live performance. Expect only the obscure and uncompromised sounds of the underground.

VW: What do you miss most about the scene back then?

S: The down-to-earth venues, lack of dress code, unique underground vibes, great attitudes, and the open minds of individuals and punters.

VW: What was the last gig you went to and how was it?

S: The last gig I went to was Earworm’s techno event in Kaohsiung. Though it is not an ideal techno event, it’s definitely the best in town with a great bunch of DJs and VJs and event promoters.

VW: When did you start doing Nclosure? And how has it been?

S: Officially, June 25th, 2011 ... the event is still fairly new, but I’m pleased to see a constant following. It’s an underground electronic gig, focusing strictly on the music/sound/vibe and open minds, and nothing else. So it’s kind of an exclusive weekend hideout. I’m not expecting a huge mainstream crowd.